I Love You
by Pale Treasures
Summary: True love wasn't like what she'd read about in books or dreamed of. True love was slower, subtler, but infinitely more beautiful. Anna/Kristoff. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Frozen; everything in it is Disney's property.

**Rating: **K+

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**I Love You**

Things had never been the way she'd expected with him. Their acquaintance had been so short and fraught with stress almost from the moment they met, that she hadn't actually had the time, or the self-knowledge, to anticipate anything.

She had always believed that everything would be solved and settled after the kiss, that the two lovers would marry and live happily ever after afterward, because what else could there possibly be after they kiss and realize they're in love? But in real life things didn't actually run so smoothly, or at least they didn't for her. Because her and Kristoff kissing was just the beginning. There was still so much to be said, to know, to realize.

After finding out that Kristoff was in love with her, she wondered how she could have missed it in the first place, and after knowing that she never doubted it again. It was written on every feature of his, on his every gesture toward her. He worked for the palace, he was good at his job – the best – and Elsa was fond of him, so she saw a lot of him. She saw him almost every day, in fact. And it kind of made her wonder if it would have been any different, even if he had gone back to where he'd been before, even if he was working elsewhere. Wouldn't he have traveled the miles to see her, in all weathers, just for her; wouldn't she have done the same for him?

Their bickering magically subsided after he came back for her, after they kissed. Instead of there being closure to their story, they went back to the beginning, and it was as though the kiss had never happened at all. They were shy around each other – and she was, consequently, even clumsier than usual – but, somehow, they talked easily, once they got around to it. She learned more about his life that she had ever had the chance to before, and delighted in knowing his past, the things he loved and hated and his deepest thoughts, even though he usually blushed and muttered when she happily wanted to know more and asked him questions.

It surprised her, however, to see her interest reciprocated tenfold. She'd dreamed of sharing memories and thoughts and dreams with someone, but now that she was finally able to, she too doubted the interest of her own past. Her childhood had been a collection of mischievous antics and embarrassing accidents, and the death of her beloved parents and her estrangement from Elsa had cast a shadow over her teen years. So how much was there to say, really?

But he didn't care. He wanted to know everything, though he never said as much in actual words. But she could tell. He laughed out loud sometimes when she told him of her adventures and missteps – not in a mean way, though, but she knew him well enough by then to be aware that her hopeless lack of coordination would never fail to amuse him greatly. He asked her questions about all sorts of things – all the things she'd longed to discuss before – and even something as simple as her answer to what her favorite color was had him staring at her with such unmitigated fondness that her heart tightened in her chest, and she felt like crying. This was something she hadn't known, either. True love was meant to make you jump for joy, to want to cry from the rooftops, to walk on sheer clouds of bliss, wasn't it? But she learned it could make you cry. Not because the other person had hurt you. Simply because they meant so much that you just did.

He asked her so many questions, never once interrupting her when she was in the middle of waxing lyrical about something, that she sometimes dimly wondered whether she wasn't talking too much. That was something she was well aware she'd always have little power to control, but she never wanted him to think she didn't care about what _he_ had to say. Still, she managed to find out a lot about him.

She learned that he was hopelessly sweet beneath his sometimes gruff manners, and good-hearted and patient. He was smart, he knew everything about the things that interested him and always had good ideas to make something happen. He was determined. He was practical and sensible. He was grumpy if he had to wake up too early, but in a couple of hours he'd have gotten over it. He had his lazy moments, but never stopped being a hard worker because of them. He was funny; he could make her giggle until she snorted, and he smirked at her whenever she did, but always with affection in his eyes. He was brave and he was loving – all she had to do was look at the way he treated Sven, and his troll family, and anyone he cared about. All she had to do was look at the way he treated her.

Sometimes she was so enthusiastic – about talking, about listening to him, about just being near him – that she accidentally hit him, but after his look of pain had subsided, as he rubbed a throbbing nose or sheen or cheek, his warm expression as he looked at swiftly returned and never altered again. It was always the same; she'd profusely squeak her apologies, horrified and embarrassed, and he'd smile and say it was okay – or that he'd gone through worse, often at her hands (to which she'd punch his arm) and then meekly condescend to being fussed over and taken care of if her accidental mistreatment had kept him from immediately going about his business as usual.

She wasn't sure how long they spent together like this. Months; probably a year. People were beginning to look at her funny, and Elsa always had an indulgent, secretive smile whenever she saw her, or saw them both together. She shouldn't be surprised, of course, that Elsa had known before her. Elsa was so much wiser than her in so many ways.

But the thing that surprised her most, the one thing she had been so painfully unaware of, was not how someone showed their feelings for you when they were truly in love – although her eyes were definitely opened on that – but her own feelings. She'd had no clue it could be like this, that it actually _went_ like this. In real life, things were subtler, often much more complicated, and even though true love was meant to be easy, sometimes the answers to get there weren't so. She saw that eventually, and she understood. Things with Hans had been all wrong, and she thought that, if the same thing happened today, she'd be better prepared to spot the inconsistencies, to listen to her heart when it told her that something was off.

But Hans was a distant memory, and she lacked even resentment toward him. It was no longer his face that she saw whenever she thought about the person she might end up with. It wasn't him she wanted to know everything about. It wasn't him she couldn't bear to imagine hurt, or sad, or disappointed. It wasn't in his arms that she longed to cuddle, and he wasn't the one she wanted to kiss.

That she had ever been able to imagine forever with him was staggering. But with Kristoff… with Kristoff, she _could_ imagine forever, and nothing made her happier, or more hopeful about the future.

She didn't remember the exact moment of realization, but she did know it had come after many nights lying awake, searching her heart, combing through the events of the day and every word shared, every look and tiny, timid touch exchanged. Then she realized this was the only possible answer. And that true love wasn't always quick to show itself, but once you worked it out, you couldn't doubt it.

Sometime after that, she wasn't sure when, she went to search him out, early one morning, intent on telling him. She was the farthest thing possible from having a plan; she just knew she _had_ to be with him and make her feelings, somehow, known. She couldn't imagine being away from him after realizing something like this. She didn't think she could bear it, either.

She did know it was winter, and cold, and when she found him he was getting ready to leave. When he saw her, Sven stomped the icy ground, his tongue happily wagging out, and she smiled and showed the carrot she'd been hiding behind her back.

"How did you guess?" she asked him with a smile, stroking his head. He languished under the affectionate caress and gently bumped the side of his head against her side.

"You spoil him. He's getting fatter, and soon I'll have to find another reindeer. I can't do all the hard work while _some_ are feasting themselves."

Sven's head instantly darted in Kristoff's direction, and his look was both threatening and offended. Then he huffed, tossing his head with as much dignity as a reindeer could possibly muster, and walked off to eat his treat in peace.

"He knows you don't mean it," Anna remarked with a smile, her voice, much to her alarm, quivering slightly.

"Yeah, he does," Kristoff looked fondly in the direction Sven had gone off in, and then turned back to face her, an expectant look on his face. "So, what's up? Everything okay?"

A truly alarming giggle fought to erupt from her lips, and she clamped both her hands over her mouth, nodding. He frowned, cocking his head sideways. "Are you… _sure_…?" His words dragged doubtfully.

"Yes!" she squeaked. "Of course! Everything's marvelous! Why shouldn't it be?"

"_Okaaay_." He crossed his arms and stared down at her, though, clearly not about to let her off the hook quite so fast. She wasn't sure whether to feel grateful or more panicked still.

"So! Are you… about… to head off now?" Anna asked breathlessly, walking around him, taking in the surroundings she knew by heart by now, because she'd spent so much time there with him.

"I was about to. But then you showed up." He took her in, and she was somewhat fearful of the look in his intelligent eyes. If he hadn't figured it all out by now, he soon would. _How_ had he not, yet? "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Yes. No." She bit down on her lips.

He frowned, concerned, now. "Is everything really okay? Did something happen with Elsa?"

"No, no, everything's fine." She breathed in deeply and met his eyes. "You're busy and I'm only making you late. I'll come back some other time."

"No, really. Stay." Before she knew it, before they both knew it, probably, his arm had darted out and his hand clasped hers. She looked down in wonder. Even though it was so cold, his hand was warm, and hers felt pleasantly cozy inside his much larger one.

"Sorry." He dropped his hand, but his look of worried regret made her feel as though her heart was about to break. She was reminded again of how much she didn't want to see him hurt. His heart was a truly special thing, far more precious than her own. She wanted nothing more than to carefully hold it in her hands, and let him know that she would always keep it safe.

"No, no. Please don't. It's okay." Her voice faded to a whisper and tears prickled the back of her throat. Then, bravely, she looked up at him again, and this time she wouldn't look away. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"What is it?" He looked instantly and genuinely interested, but also confused. So, he didn't know. He hadn't realized it yet. And she felt worse than ever for thinking that maybe, for a whole year, he had been wondering about her own feelings for him, thinking that maybe his weren't reciprocated after all.

"I just wanted to let you know… that I really like being with you… and that I'm glad you're a part of the family, now." Her eyes widened in horror and she blushed. "I mean! That you're so close to the palace now, since you work for Elsa, and all, and she likes you, and I like you, and it's nice that we're all close."

Something had changed in his features, something so subtle she wouldn't have noticed it before, but she couldn't quite define his expression as it was now.

"Yeah, it's nice. I'm really happy here. Happier than I've ever been anywhere else," he said earnestly, staring into her eyes.

She blushed hotly, and her heart stuttered in her chest like an unsteady-about-to-be-broken thing.

"I'm glad," she whispered. "I really am."

"Was that all?" he asked quietly, the faintest note of hope in his voice.

"No." She looked up at him yet again. "I…" She toyed with her gloves. "I… I've been meaning to say for a while how I really like your company. I like it that we can talk about everything. I've never had that with anyone before. I always feel really safe when I'm with you. Like I can tell you anything." Her voice faded unsurely.

"You can." He was still staring squarely down at her. "You can tell me anything. And I'll always keep you safe." This time, to her wonder and incredulous delight, it was his turn to blush. His beautiful face turned beet red, and he tried an awkward cough. It didn't quite work.

"And _I'll_ always keep you safe," she blurted out, in a rush of courage bolstered by his own reaction. She felt no sense of ridicule, nor did she fear it from him, only how true her words were, "I'll always be here for you. Whenever you need my help, I'm here."

He was just staring, now, not saying anything, and his look made her heart skip a beat in her chest. "Are we talking about anything specific, Anna?" he asked, his voice serious and gentle like she'd never heard it, "Are we meant to be saying something… to each other?"

"No. I mean, yes. _I'm_ saying something, and I need you to listen." She took a deep breath, but all her bravado melted away again as she looked at him, his face so beloved and earnest and hopeful, that tenderness stole into her every nerve, filling all of her up, and her heart felt about to burst from the sheer strength of it. "I don't know how to say it," she gave in miserably, trying to blink back her tears, "I didn't make a plan. I didn't think beforehand, I just came in here and searched for you."

"Oh, Anna." Tenderly, he tilted her chin upward, and his expression was filled with love and concern, so warm, so unmistakable, she felt warmed and consoled all over.

She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly, and the feeling was better than anything she'd ever dreamed. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. "That's what I wanted to tell you."

He pulled back, still holding her, to assess her expression, his mouth half-open with awe. Then the surprise vanished and everything softened in his face once more. "I love you too." His grip on her tightened. "I've been working the nerve to tell you. I didn't know how. I was scared I might scare you away. I wasn't sure…" He leaned in eagerly. "You love me?"

She smiled and timidly nodded, red and warm to the roots of her hair.

"I've never thought about anyone else since the day I came back to save you," he said, his voice even and passionate and the most perfect thing she'd ever heard. "I've never wanted anyone else since then. I'd never felt this way before until I met you."

She blushed deeper still, which she really hadn't believed humanly possible. "And I never felt his way for anyone else before."

Kristoff faltered. "But… that guy… that prince Whatsisname, of the Summer Isles…"

She couldn't help but giggle. "_Southern_ Isles." Her eyes softened as she took him in. "He's not important. He never was. I was wrong." His look was questioning, silently asking her to say more. Her voice wavered slightly. "I thought I knew what true love was, but I didn't. It took me a while to realize what it was really like. And it turned out that it wasn't what I thought I felt for him, but what I felt for you." And it was worth it to finally say the words, just to see the overjoyed, bewildered, grateful look on his face.

Then he kissed her. It was so sudden she didn't realize it for awhile. But she couldn't miss the warm feel of his lips on hers. And she couldn't help but smile, and hold him tighter, and tremblingly allow him to deepen the kiss.

After that, it was all a bit of a blur, really. But she remembered Elsa smiling like she'd never seen her smile before, and saying heartily that she gave their marriage her blessing, and would be honored to have someone like Kristoff as her brother-in-law. Her heart had warmed with love and compassion and gratitude for Elsa then. This had made her so happy; Elsa, like her, had longed for a family, for normality, for a long time. Now they could finally have both.

She knew it wouldn't always be easy between her and Kristoff. After all, there were still many differences between them. But she knew that they could fix things with a sense of humor, and that, even if they went to bed angry, neither would be strong enough to carry their resentment intact till next morning, and that kisses and hugs and apologies and laughter would swiftly follow. Most importantly, she knew that, whatever happened, their separation would never be the answer. They couldn't be anything but together. And she intended that they stay that way. Forever.

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**I only had the chance to watch the movie for the first time yesterday, but I knew I wanted to write something about it/about Anna and Kristoff for a long time. How did I do? Would you read more of them from me?**


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